Ricco Rodriguez to train with Mirko Cro Cop

Former UFC heavyweight champion Ricco Rodriguez will be assisting Mirko Cro Cop as Cro Cop prepares for his next fight at UFC 75 on September 8 against Cheick Kongo. The move to work with Rodriguez could be good for Cro Cop, so long as he doesn’t follow any nutrition advice from him.

Loretta Hunt from the Fight Network is also reporting that Rodriguez is claiming he’s been approached to fight Antonio “Big Foot” Silva in a clash of super heavyweights at an EliteXC card in November.

Hunt is also reporting that Silva underwent surgery in June to remove a tumor from his cranial region and will be ready to compete again in October. Although the California State Athletic Commission never made an official statement, it is believed that Silva was prevented from fighting on the June 2 “Dynamite USA” card because of the tumor. He could be ready to fight as early as October.

It’s also interesting to note that Hong Man-choi was apparently not allowed to fight on June 2 because of a similar condition. However, he’s not going to have surgery and will be fighting on a K-1 MMA card on August 5 against “Big Daddy” Gary Goodridge. K-1 has talked about returning to the States but their decision to have Hong Man fight without addressing his medical condition could make getting licensed in the U.S. a little bit difficult.